[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10768-10769]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION FOR JOSEPH BLAIR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 15, 2010

  Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Joseph Blair, 
who is celebrating 10 years of unselfish service and dedication to 
hundreds of youth through his Arizona Basketball Academy.
  For young people in my community, these camps are unique because they 
are provided at no cost to participants and are conducted by a former 
University of Arizona Wildcat basketball player who went on to play the 
game professionally.
  Joseph Blair started his program by traveling to various Boys & Girls 
Club locations, sharing basketball and life skills. The sessions 
evolved and have been consolidated so they now also benefit teens from 
Tucson Parks & Recreation and the Tucson Urban League, among others.
  The growth of Mr. Blair's altruistic donations of time, influence and 
funding are paralleled by his athletic endeavors. His global career as 
an international ambassador of basketball and good will was launched at 
the University of Arizona, where he was the 6-foot-10-inch ``big 
man.''As a Wildcat, he led the team to appearances at Madison Square 
Garden, the Great Alaskan Shoot-Out and the Maui Classic as well as 
games in Australia and in the 1994 NCAA Final Four.
  Mr. Blair was picked in the second round of the 1996 NBA draft, but 
opted to pursue a career in Europe, playing in France, Greece, Turkey, 
Russia and as a member of the famed Harlem Globetrotters. Most of his 
international career was in Italy where Mr. Blair played in the 
mountains of Biella, the seashores of Pesaro and in the city of Milan. 
Mr. Blair is fluently bilingual and loved the rich culture of his 
adopted home.
  While abroad, Mr. Blair earned numerous accolades and was named the 
Most Valuable Player of the Euroleague in 2003.
  His understanding of how basketball can have a positive influence on 
young people has

[[Page 10769]]

gone far beyond his own experiences on the court. His empathy for youth 
started during these years when Mr. Blair conducted basketball clinics 
in Greece and created a basketball academy in Italy.
  Mr. Blair now is retired from basketball, but his philanthropic 
contributions continue. In addition to teaching athletic and life 
skills at his basketball academy, he is deeply involved with the Ronald 
McDonald House in Tucson where he and his staff provide and serve 
dinners for patients' families during the academy's week of camp.
  At the end of his camp, Mr. Blair visits young patients in the 
pediatric unit of University Medical Center in Tucson, bringing smiles 
to them through gifts and an exhibition of his basketball skills.
  Mr. Blair has worked and travelled in many other countries but has 
remained true to his roots. He is a living testimony of how to give 
back to one's community, not only as a big man, but as a man with a big 
heart.
  I am proud to recognize Joseph Blair on the 10th anniversary of his 
Arizona Basketball Academy and I join with a grateful community to 
commend him for his valuable contributions to the young people of 
Tucson and Southern Arizona. Thank you Joseph for being such a great 
role model and for all that you do to help our youth develop their 
athletic and leadership skills.

                          ____________________